Berry’s ABA minor prepares students for competitive graduate programs and meaningful careers helping people make socially significant changes in their behavior.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is one of the fastest growing areas in the helping professions, with practitioners teaching skills to people of all ages and supporting the acquisition of desirable behaviors. ABA is the primary evidence-based treatment for autism spectrum disorder, and there is great demand for well-trained practitioners nationwide and internationally.
Mikayla Camacho (20C), worked with Assistant Professor of Psychology Thom Ratkos to investigate how young children recall pictures after time delays in various contexts—later earning the award for Best Undergraduate Poster at the Georgia Association of Behavior Analysis Conference. Mikayla is now working on a Master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in ABA.
Minor in Applied Behavior Analysis
(19 hours)
The ABA Minor introduces students to the science of behavior analysis and how to apply that science to solve problems and help people. Students will learn foundational principals of skill acquisition and behavior reduction, single-subject design methodology, and how these principles are translated into real-world applications from assessment to treatment addressing issues of social significance. The minor also addresses ethical considerations for professional conduct.
- Open to ALL majors - only prerequisite is PSY101
- With an ABA Minor, you can pursue a real career as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA)
- Our graduates have seen great success being admitted to competitive graduate programs to become BCBAs as well as in related fields
In 2021 there were only 63 Verified Course Sequences (VCS) for BCaBA in the United States and only 114 in the world.
The Association for Behavior Analysis International has verified the courses embedded in our minor as coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® examination. Applicants will need to meet additional requirements before they can be deemed eligible to take the examination. In addition to the Minor, people pursuing certification will need to complete their Bachelor’s degree and complete clinical experiences under the supervision of a BCBA before taking their exam.
AUTISM ENDORSEMENT For Teachers
In addition to the Minor available to all Berry students, the ABA program offers courses that enable our Teacher Education majors to add an Autism Endorsement to their teaching certificates upon graduating. There are many benefits to getting an autism endorsement, such as:
- Skill Enhancement in addressing skill acquisition and addressing challenging behaviors.
- Increasing the likelihood of being hired in a school system of your choice
- A multidisciplinary understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Lifelong Mentors
- Unique Research Opportunities
If you are interested in learning more about careers and interventions that support positive outcomes for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other Developmental Disabilities, consider taking PSY 222.
Even if you are not interested in working with special needs populations, the 5 course ABA sequence of classes (beginning with PSY 222) provides a foundation in understanding and changing animal behavior, teaching people of all ages, and strategies that support the acquisition of desirable behaviors that enhance functioning in many settings such as the work place (industry) and groups of all kinds.